There’s a common opinion that dogs are cute, adorable, funny and what not, but do they actually improve the overall quality of your life? Associate Professor Manos Stamatakis at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre aims to find out just that.

Here’s what he has to say:

“Dog ownership — if it’s handled with care — can change life for the better for many people. We live in an increasingly solitary world an individualistic world. It can be difficult to get unconditional acceptance and love.”

Stamatakis hopes that his research will shed some light on exactly how owning a dog can affect your health. Having a dog requires you to be more active in general and to spend more time outdoors. Both of these things have a huge impact on your overall health, and let’s not forget that your dog is your friend – maybe even your best friend. For people who are lonely or have suffered the loss of a loved one, a dog can help fill the painful gap.

Sharon Sanders, founder and director of BorrowMyPooch understands that not everyone is able to own a dog, for a number of reasons. She claims that she has learned, from personal experience, the value of ‘borrowing’ dogs.

She says:

“I live in an apartment on my own but I still wanted to have that dog interaction, so I started borrowing a friend’s dog, Hobbs.”

To sum everything up, spending an hour or two with a dog, regardless of whether it’s your dog or not, can have an incredible impact on your health.